Resistance training or weight lifting is a common type of strength training for developing the strength and size of skeletal muscles. Weight and resistance training uses the weight force of gravity to oppose the force generated by muscle through concentric or eccentric contraction. Weight and resistance training uses a variety of specialized equipment to target specific muscle groups and types of movement.
As a general rule, muscle development occurs when resistance is added to a muscle movement. Resistance may be added by various means. In a simplest example, body weight adds resistance to a person's muscles and leads to muscle development as the person's muscle groups undergoes movement. A person's body weight provides a base amount of resistance that requires a minimum level of muscle mass to facilitate the person's muscle movements. Muscle development may occur when either the resistance increases, or when the amount of muscle movement increases. In both instances, the person's muscles will become fatigued, thereby requiring that the muscles undergo development to accommodate for the increased activity and/or resistance.
The objective in weight training is to maximize muscle development by increasing the resistance and/or muscle movement experienced by the individual. Exercise machines have been developed with the specific goal in mind of increasing resistance to, and repetition of muscle movement. Exercise movements have also been developed which are designed to maximize a person's body weight to provide general or isolated resistance to one or more muscles or muscle groups. For example, pushups, squats, lunges, and sit ups are examples of exercise movements that coordinate resistance and muscle movement to maximize muscle development.
In some instances, resistance is added to muscle movement using free-weights. A free-weight can be classified as any object or device having a mass that can be moved freely in three-dimensional space. Examples of common free-weights include dumbbells, barbells, high/low or adjustable pulley systems, lat pull-down and low row devices, medicine balls, kettle bells, ankle weights, and the human body. In reality, any object that is free to move in three-dimensional space that is not fixed to any specific set of axis can be considered a free-weight.
Weight training may also be performed using an exercise machine. Unlike free-weights, an exercise machine is designed to limit the biomechanical motion of a portion of a user's body to one or two-dimensions. In this way, the exercise machine may focus the resistance and efforts of the user to an isolated muscle, or group of muscles.
Exercise machines use gravity, friction, tension, compression, and/or hydraulic forces to provide isolated resistance to the user. Exercise machines further provide optimized biomechanical movement and resistance for the user's body by incorporating various combinations of cables, cams, springs, elastomeric bands, hydraulic cylinders, levers, and pulleys into the machine's design. Exercise machines are thus specifically designed to provide exact, repeatable biomechanical motions that are calculated to optimize desired muscular development. In theory, any user that performs weight training on an exercise machine will achieve the muscular development for which the exercise machine was specifically designed.
In some instances, it may be desirable to add increased resistance to an exercise movement or an exercise machine. Free-weights generally come in a variety of graduated units, such that a user may increase resistance by simply adding an additional unit, or swapping one unit for another unit having increased mass. Exercise machines are similarly configured to permit a user to easily add or remove resistance, as desired.
Resistance bands are also useful in adding resistance to an exercise movement. A resistance band generally comprises a sheet or tube structure comprising a resilient or elastic material, such as rubber or an elastomeric polymer. A first end of the resistance band may be attached to a part of the user's body, with a second end of the resistance band being secured to a fixed surface. Resistive forces from the resistance band are imparted to the user's movement as a distance between the first end and the second end of the band increases.
For example, a user may hold the first end of the band in his hand while the second end of the band is held against the floor by the user's foot. In other instances, the first and second ends of the band may be held in user's hands while a middle section of the band is held against the floor by the user's foot. Further still, in some instances the first and second ends of the band are held in the user's hands while the middle portion of the band is stretched across the user's back. The user's movement generally lengthens the resistance band, thereby increasing the resistive forces experienced by the user during the movement.
Generally, a user wraps the ends of the resistance band around their hands prior to grabbing the free-weight or exercise machine, thus holding the band and the exercise equipment in the palm of their hand. In some instances, the ends of the elastic band are formed into loops or attached to a handle or strap that the user places in their palm to hold with the free-weight or exercise machine. The presence of the resistance band or handle in the user's palm necessarily interferes with the user's grip during the weight training exercise. Further, placement of the band, loop, strap or handle in the user's palm causes increased wrist, thumb, and/or palm extension torque as resistive forces increase during the exercise movement. This results in over-extension of the user's wrist, thumb, and/or palm which may cause discomfort to the user, as well as promote improper biomechanical motion.
Thus, while systems and devices currently exist for adding resistance to an exercise movement, challenges still exist. Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an improved device that overcomes the current challenges. Such a device is disclosed herein.